Play, Make, Create, A Process-Art Handbook: With over 40 Art Invitations for Kids * Creative Activities and Projects that Inspire Confidence, Creativity, and Connection

I started following Meri Cherry on social media and longed to live close to her studio where the most amazing magic/art happens. But alas, living on the east coast meant I had to watch from afar... until this wonderful book was published. I ordered this months ago and have had the BEST time going through it with my kids (ages 6 and 3). The projects are beautifully photographed, just begging you to try them. The instructions are not only easy to follow but include the most helpful tips for success and suggestions for truly connecting with your children. My kids have gone through and selected things they want to try and have been so proud of their creations. These also make super fun play date activities - the ice sculpture project kept a group of kids of various ages entertained for almost an hour and with minimal cost! I always want to do arts and crafts with the kids but just didn’t have specific ideas in mind. The invitations in this book have brought us so much joy and are things I never would have come up with on my own. Just so thankful to have discovered this book and all of the treasures within!

I’m a mom of three young children and I’m so completely thrilled with this book! I love Meri Cherry’s blog and this is just as wonderful. I love how she creates projects where kids can be free to enjoy the process of creating real art. And this book is filled with awesome projects I am excited to do with my kids. It has a few things I saw on her blog plus so much more. Having so many great ideas in one book helps me plan which awesome projects to do next, like this book can just be my game plan, instead of sorting through Pinterest endlessly. On a more practical note, I really like how she suggests you start with whatever project you want (I have another process art book where the author created the book for you to start in the beginning and I prefer how she set this up for freedom of choice. I also like how she explains each project just enough, and doesn’t write huge essays to read. She just gives reasonably brief directions and a quick helpful tip for each project (the tips are great- about using materials and how to talk to kids about art). She tells her favorite art supplies and gives ideas for more affordable and less messy options whenever possible. The book seems to have four types of projects. One section is sensory play recipes/ideas (slime, playdough, etc). The rest of the book is art-focused with projects to explore materials (I can’t wait to try her idea for cotton swab “oil paintings!”), assignments with a small amount of direction (like creating stickers and self-portraits). Then the final section has bigger projects which are truly awesome (I mean, those unicorns- wow!). Overall I am so thrilled that I purchased this book. I think I’m going to write down a few more sensory play recipes in that section so I have everything in one place. Meri Cherry is such an inspiration and I am so glad I found her blog and now her amazing book!

Process art is a great fit for my children, particularly my 8 year old whom is always aiming for perfection. He is able to enjoy working through the projects in this book just to see what happens, rather than aiming for a perfect outcome. It has truly brought more peace and happiness to our home and I couldn't recommend it more! I had most of the materials necessary for the projects and was able to easily gather the remaining few for very little $. The projects are all totally doable and the prep beforehand is not at all overwhelming. Perfect for a busy mom like me that wants to infuse more art into my children's lives. We are using this book as part of our homeschool art curriculum for the upcoming school year and we are all so excited!

I discovered Meri Cherry when my kids’ elementary school closed and our whole city went into lockdown due to Covid in March 2020. I loved the projects she did with her own daughters, which she was sharing on Instagram. When I saw she had published this book, I immediately purchased it. Both of my kids (a 9-year-old boy and 6-year-old girl) have found projects they love. They both like to make the artist trading cards, and loved the sticky party wall and “science experiments”. I would disagree with the idea that the book is for girls. I mostly looked through the book and picked projects I thought would interest my kids. I can see how a boy might flip through it and not relate - Meri does the projects with her two girls, and their art is depicted. The color palates the girls use tend to be more pinks and pastels, but the projects themselves don’t necessarily lean toward a specific gender in their appeal. The concept is that you set up the projects and then invite kids to come create something using the materials. If you use color palates and materials geared toward your child’s taste, I think any kid would enjoy it. I have given this book as a gift a few times now. For those of us who want to limit screen time and encourage imagination, this book it fantastic. I love that Meri includes a list of staple art items; the list is great, and most items are not very expensive or hard to find. We highly recommend this book as a creative resource.

Meri Cherry has truly encapsulated the spirit, passion, and wonder her magical art studio in Los Angeles embodies in this easy to follow-inspirational book. You can really feel how much she cares about her readers, and she offers a really approachable way to do art with kids. We just LOVE all of the ideas and have been doing at least one of them since it was delivered. It’s been a true lifesaver in this quarantine, but it’s also inspiring me to be the mom I always want to be♥️ Follow her on Instagram and on her website for even more guidance, nurturing, and overall charm. You won’t be disappointed!

Too often, when we want to engage a child with art, we stress the final outcome. Children learn to judge themselves, and others! Children often become discouraged, rather than engaged, often leading to a lifetime of avoiding art making. Emphasizing process, fun, and creativity, leaves everyone feeling great about art. This book clearly lays out multiple “projects”, “experiences” and all kinds of art processes. I appreciate how she describes setting up the experience. Great, great resource!

Meri Cherry knows what makes kids tick and creates the most magical art projects. We discovered this book during Covid (at the recommendation of a friend) and three years later we have not only worked out many of the projects in the book, but my 7 year old daughter STILL requests and reads the book cover to cover (like it’s any other storybook). We were so inspired by Meri Cherry’s book that we signed our kids up for her art camp and relocated for over a week from Northern California to the LA area just so the kids could attend the camp this summer. (And yes, it was completely worth it).

I own an art studio in North Carolina. My artists love coming up with ideas and creating, but NOTHING lights them up more than going through this beautiful book and picking out one of Meri Cherry’s projects, especially after looking at all of the cheerful, realistic pictures! These are projects that kids of ANY ages can do and love. And her writing is genius! In her description of her Playdoh recipe, she says (something along the lines of) “You’ll get to a point where you think you’ve messed it up. But keep going! You haven’t!” It’s easy to read and understand. Love this book so much!!!

El mejor libro de arte y creatividad que tenemos en casa (y no son pocos). A la peque le encantan todas las actividades, y ojear el libro un y otra vez. Tiene muchas propuestas muy variadas, con variantes distintas a su vez. Para 3 años lo veo aún algo avanzado, aunque como siempre, adáptanos las ideas. Para 5 o 6 en adelante creo que le sacaremos todo el jugo posible. Además, es una maravilla visual.

My 3 year old son and 5 year old daughter are crazy for this book and the activities/projects! So far we have tried pastel/oil q tip painting, small worlds, watercolour dropper with salt/glue project, art cards, and a few more! I find the projects/ideas very open ended and my kids enjoy this because a lot. I find they sit immersed in their work and also want to make many of each. When I have done art projects with them in the past it was a very short specific activity and didn't seem to absorb them as much (art kits with a specific outcome, colouring pages, etc). When we did the cotton swab water colour dropper project my daughter was completely INTO in and I NEVER would have thought cotton swabs from my bathroom and plastic droppers and watercolours would have been a good idea. Thank you! My kids love exploring in this art/sensory/sicence/process way! This is much more than an art book and a really fun way to spend time with my kids!

Good book to set up play invitations for children

Love this book and so do my girls. So many fun, cool projects displayed in such an accessible way with clear instructions. We love looking through it and chatting about ideas. I was amazed at how accessible the ideas and Ingredients are too! Can’t wait for the holidays so we can try them all out!

I love the book arrived quickly and in good order